Contents

Mission Statement

NOTICE: This page is mostly copied over from the old LibrePlanet/ Students for Free Culture group. That's not us (we're LibreHamp), but we have common beliefs and goals, and they left us a great template to work from. By next semester (S15), when we become an official student group, we'll have this updated with the correct information. If you're interested in getting in touch though, the signer information is accurate.

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The Hampshire College LibrePlanet/Students for Free Culture Chapter exists to empower the Hampshire Community with free software and free cultural works. We are a group within two global networks and as such we also work within their Codes of Conduct and Mission Statements: -LibrePlanet: The LibrePlanet project is a global network of free software activists organized into teams working together to help further the ideals of software freedom by advocating and contributing to free software. The main activity of LibrePlanet is hosting regional teams that operate locally in accordance with the project mission statement. -Mission Statement: The mission of LibrePlanet is to empower a global network of both local and project-based teams, all working together to advance free software as a social movement for user freedom. -Code of Conduct: Be respectful. Be mindful. Work together. Advocate freedom. -Students for Free Culture: Students for Free Culture (SFC) is a diverse, non-partisan group of students and young people who are working to get their peers involved in the free culture movement. SFC chapters exist at over 40 colleges and universities around the world. -Mission Statement: FreeCulture.org is a student organization founded to advance cultural participation in the digital age and to defend the public interest in intellectual property policy. By organizing on our campuses, interacting with our local communities, and working with a broad spectrum of interest groups, we will build a strong and vibrant movement to free culture. -Manifesto: The mission of the Free Culture movement is to build a bottom-up, participatory structure to society and culture, rather than a top-down, closed, proprietary structure. Through the democratizing power of digital technology and the internet, we can place the tools of creation and distribution, communication and collaboration, teaching and learning into the hands of the common person -- and with a truly active, connected, informed citizenry, injustice and oppression will slowly but surely vanish from the earth.

The Hampshire College LibrePlanet/Students for Free Culture Chapter exists to empower the Hampshire Community with free software and free cultural works.

We're here to geek out, protect your data, liberate your digital art, and tear down media and software monopolies! If you have any questions contact us via:

Goals

Empower: Through education and awareness campaigns, make what free culture offers accessible to the Hampshire Community.

Advance: Advocate free culture ideals and contribute to projects which improve the Hampshire Community with these ideals in mind.

Support: Encourage and welcome all interested people to get involved and assist them in doing so.

Organization

We are a group within two global networks and as such we also work within their Codes of Conduct and Mission Statements:

LibrePlanet: The LibrePlanet project is a global network of free software activists organized into teams working together to help further the ideals of software freedom by advocating and contributing to free software. The main activity of LibrePlanet is hosting regional teams that operate locally in accordance with the project mission statement.

Mission Statement: The mission of LibrePlanet is to empower a global network of both local and project-based teams, all working together to advance free software as a social movement for user freedom.

Code of Conduct: Be respectful. Be mindful. Work together. Advocate freedom.

Students for Free Culture: Students for Free Culture (SFC) is a diverse, non-partisan group of students and young people who are working to get their peers involved in the free culture movement. SFC chapters exist at over 40 colleges and universities around the world.

Mission Statement: FreeCulture.org is a student organization founded to advance cultural participation in the digital age and to defend the public interest in intellectual property policy. By organizing on our campuses, interacting with our local communities, and working with a broad spectrum of interest groups, we will build a strong and vibrant movement to free culture.

Manifesto: The mission of the Free Culture movement is to build a bottom-up, participatory structure to society and culture, rather than a top-down, closed, proprietary structure. Through the democratizing power of digital technology and the internet, we can place the tools of creation and distribution, communication and collaboration, teaching and learning into the hands of the common person -- and with a truly active, connected, informed citizenry, injustice and oppression will slowly but surely vanish from the earth.

Motivation

Free software and free culture are paramount for a free society.

As computers play increasingly integral roles in more and more aspects of our lives, the role of software freedom in guaranteeing our general freedom grows in parallel. The software which runs on our computers defines how we experience and interact with the world, so we must ensure that we have the freedom and control to determine how we connect and communicate with each another. Otherwise, we make our autonomy contingent on the people and corporations who own software.

Through a philosophy advocating four essential freedoms, the free software movement has become one of the most successful social movements in recent history. In addition to being a movement of its own, free software provides tools and platforms which enable other movements to work effectively for social good. LibrePlanet promotes free software as a critical building block for an overall free society.

What we offer

We will help students (especially Div III) and groups aroud campus make their next digital project, wether video, audio, photographic, or otherwise, free and open:

We can help you find and use free editing tools.

Instead of defaulting on your copyright's "all rights reserved", we can help you select and set up a free culture license